All posts by shonna barlow

Our Longview Dream Center has been in full operation for 5 years. It has been both challenging and exciting. We dreamed of having a place that would serve our community and make a difference in the lives of those with legitimate needs.

We humbly started LifeSource in 2005 (food assistance) out of the trunk of a car. LifeSource began in LifeBridge Christian Center. The church had a passion to serve the needy and to serve the citizens of Longview.

Our beginning had no strategy. Just simple a desire to help others.

The first six months of feeding families began by driving around our city and distributed food to those in need.

Now fast forward 8 years. In 2013 we purchased our current facility at 803 Gilmer Road. At that time, we were serving about 200 families per month. Our hearts were burning with passion to fight hunger, give away free clothing, and build ramps for the handicapped.

We have experienced exponential growth and amazing success. In the last 5 years our ministry is now serving food to nearly 1,000 families every month. We are also freely giving thousands of clothing items to families in need.

Currently we:

facilitate the distribution of food to Senior Citizens in Gregg County

serve as a viable organization in fighting hunger

have partnered with dozens of organizations in our community

have hosted a variety of community events

provide a benevolence program for individual needs

have provided free educational programs

provide thousands of free clothing items to our clients

have united hundreds of volunteers throughout East Texas

But more than all this, we provide hope to the hopeless.

We are friend to the lonely.

We are prayer partners to our clients.

We are committed to make an impact and to make a difference in our city as we endeavor to inspire others to join us to make a better Longview and a better East Texas.

What can you do?

You can make a donation here on the home page.

You can become a food assistance partner by giving a regular monthly donation.

You can report to us any child or family that is suffering from hunger.

You can make a difference by joining a volunteer team.

We would love to have you to become a part of the DC family.

You can become a volunteer, a financial partner, or even a social media friend.

We live in chaotic times. Texas is especially on the forefront of chaos and perilous times. We realize the weight of times like these and the responsibility. It is not only times to connect to the trauma but to realize that we also need to take action. I so appreciate those who just act! I think we also must act strategically, but primarily we need to get in the game.

Some folks just took off to Houston and dove into the solution. These people are caring, brave, and ready to make a difference. Just think if we all just said well I’ll do something later. If all of us chose that, then many would still be stranded on top of their houses. So we appreciate those who just WENT!

So here at the Dream Center we decided to serve on this end and do all that we could to make a difference. We wanted to do what we do best and use what we have. We have facilities, connections and partners.

So we began to use our connections to the community, connections of relationships, and our partners to gather supplies. Our facility is an easy access drop off center for Longview. We have seen many of people drop by and drop off supplies and hundreds more will be coming.

We must also remember that this catastrophic event will not be over for many months to come. It is so easy to respond quickly and move forward without finishing the journey.

So let’s resolve to not forget about the broken lives. The hopelessness that is real and the loss that is unbelievable.

This tragedy will forever change the lives of thousands. Many lost everything. Many will never recover. Some will never rebuild their homes. But we must be a spark of hope.

And even though we can never rebuild a home we can always re-HOPE a Heart.

One of our Partners is J-Star Ministries. J-Star is founded by Patrick Johnson. Patrick has been a champion in serving our community and reaching kids and teens in our city.

Patrick has worked tirelessly in this effort and has been hands-on in loading an unloading materials. Patrick is not an office dweller. He gets his hands dirty and jumps in wherever needed.

If you want to donate please bring your supplies to 803 Gilmer Road in Longview between 9-4 Tuesday through Saturday.

100% of all items go to the Houston area and the organization we are partnering with in that region. We have a company transporting our supplies absolutely free.

To get around town, she caught the bus. Or asked someone for a ride. Or just walked.

That changed last December when she got the keys to her very own Chevy Aveo.

It was, she says, a Christmas miracle.

Looking to give back

It all started with Doug Edwards, a longtime Whataburger Family, who created a relationship between Whataburger and the Longview Dream Center. Based in Longview, Texas, the Dream Center provides food, clothing, computer classes and job training to those in need.

“They just find people that truly need help, and they help them,” says Edwards, who oversees operations of the city’s Whataburger restaurants through the Whataburger of East Texas franchise. “That’s what we like to do, too, so it made sense to work with them.”

During a Whataburger-sponsored holiday event, Edwards experienced firsthand the gratitude of the Longview clients. That inspired him to make a considerable personal donation: a car.

Give it to someone who can use it, he told the executives of the center.

They knew just the person: Sondra Gibson.

A new direction

Gibson came to the Longview Dream Center as a client. “I used to be a drug addict,” she says. “I’ve been homeless before. Now, I’ve been sober for four years.”

She credits the change, in large part, to the Dream Center. “When I came in, they treated me like I was OK,” she says. “There was no judgment. They were kind.”

Gibson began fighting her addiction and gaining control of her life. Then, she began volunteering. She came early. She stayed late.

Now, she’s the director of the center’s clothing program, manages more than 10,000 articles of clothing, shoes, and accessories given away each month. “She has the love for it,” says Shonna Barlow, the center’s executive director.

“I have a purpose every morning when I get up,” Gibson says.

A dream come true

Last December, Edwards turned the keys of his white Chevy over to the Dream Center, and Gibson became the proud owner of a vehicle for the first time in a decade. “I started shaking,” she says. “That they would pick me above everybody else to bless!”

Having a car means Gibson can visit her grandson and mom, both of whom live out of town. She can run to the store to pick up groceries, without items melting on the long bus ride home. She can make doctor’s appointments, attend church and help other volunteers or clients who might need a lift.

It’s given her independence.

And each day, before she turns the key, she still does a little prayer. “I think how blessed I am,” Gibson says. “Not a day goes by – not an hour – that I’m not blessed.”

Here at the Longview Dream Center our volunteers are soooo important! We could never accomplish week in and week out the results we see without them. Teamwork truly makes the dream-work!

Someone great said; that great servants impact the world and that is so true. One of the issues of serving is that the servant often never realizes the impact they bring.

One of my favorite quotes is; serving requires no degrees, no accolades and no definable skills, only a willing heart.

We often miss the hidden power of contributing to others. Contribution is the 6th greatest need in the life of human beings. God knew that we have the need to give to others and not continually receive or take.

Contribution or contributing to others may be one of the greatest secrets of emotional, spiritual and philological health. Psychologists tell us when we serve others we receive the value of something called a “helpers high.”

“Helpers High” occurs when we step up to serve and make a contribution to others.

When we serve our endorphin’s are released in our bodies and these endorphin’s enhance our mood, attitude, and emotional makeup. Psychologists compare this to a runner’s high after running 3-5 miles or more.

The point is God created us knowing our greatest need is to serve rather than “be served.”

Let’s look at the benefits of serving.

Serving others is God’s secret weapon of discovering your purpose

Serving is like eating your personal vegetables it is laced with hidden power and awesome unseen benefits. Bernard Melzer wisely said; there is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and helping others.

When we choose to serve we position ourselves for change and newness. The choice to become a new volunteer in a church or an organization forces a shift in your schedule and newness to people you encounter. This results in developing new relationships.

A Little Parable

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.